At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
Tag Archives: hybe
LE SSERAFIM: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: TWS – Dream With Us
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. I’m not sure you can call … Continue reading
Song Review: LE SSERAFIM x ILLIT x Katseye – Iconic By Mistake
The idea of a super group in K-pop is very exciting. Anyone remember SuperM? As far as I know, this trio of HYBE acts don’t plan to promote together past this one-off single, but the combination of LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and Katseye has the potential to maximize a joint slay to the nth degree. However, … Continue reading
Song Review: BOYNEXTDOOR – Viral
Despite really enjoying BOYNEXTDOOR, their past few comebacks haven’t done much for me. Then, I thought it might all be over with the blustering hip-hop pre-release ddok ddok ddok. However, that song ended up growing on me in a way a track like Hollywood Action never did, and I’m not quite sure why. Regardless, this … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of May 2026
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. May 2026 Overall Thoughts While May wasn’t quite as stuffed with highlights as April, it was … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from May 24 – May 30
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
Song Review: Cortis – Blue Lips
Here’s the thing about Cortis: I really want to like their music. I think REDRED is genuinely fantastic and what I’ve seen of the members filling in for host duties on weekly music shows has been very charming. I like the idea of young creators coming in to offer something a bit different than the … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from May 17 – May 23
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
K-Pop Risers & Fallers: May 2026
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
Song Review: LE SSERAFIM – BOOMPALA
It’s been interesting to watch LE SSERAFIM’s trajectory shift over the years. They debuted with a sleek, stylish sound and a tight team of collaborators led by the once-great production duo Score and Megatone. But as time has gone on, the group’s music leaned further toward novelty, seemingly designed for memes and short-form content. This … Continue reading
Song Review: TWS – All The Possibilities
TWS’s No Tragedy album has replicated the exact promotional strategy as last year’s Try With Us mini, leading with a more bombastic pop track and following up with a mellower highlight. I already wrote about All The Possibilities back in April and you can find that text below. But now that the track has officially … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from May 10 – May 16
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
Song Review: Cortis – Acai
I was pretty harsh on Cortis’s debut-era music, but the truth is most of those songs have grown on me. I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to them, but I understand the overall appeal. And with last month’s REDRED, the group tiptoed into a sound that could prove quite unique and compelling, … Continue reading
Song Review: BOYNEXTDOOR – ddok ddok ddok
After three years, BOYNEXTDOOR are finally set to release their first full album next month. This usually means extra promotions including a pre-release or follow-up. Without much teasing at all, the group has dropped ddok ddok ddok (똑똑똑) as a taste of what’s to come. Fans will know the significance of this title given the … Continue reading
THIS WEEK IN K-POP: Ranking the New Releases from May 3 – May 9
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (May 10, 2026)
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
NEWJEANS: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
BTS: A Career In Song Ratings
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Song Review: Cortis – TNT
The whole Cortis experience didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth last year, but like so many others I’ve become a bit obsessed with new single REDRED. It’s amazing what a great dance beat can do. But more than that, REDRED feels quintessentially new rather than simply a retreat of western rap tropes. This … Continue reading